Life expectancy for dies?

[Model70Man]

I have just broken my second set of RCBS full length resizing dies. Both of them happen to be for WSM brass (270 and 300). I have resized maybe 300 brass of the 270 WSM and maybe 200 brass for the 300 WSM.

Is this normal life expectancy for RCBS dies? Just ordered my last set of RCBS dies from Cabelas.

 

[mr.big]

I have stuck a couple cases but NEVER saw a die break,,can you show pics where it broke,,I have some 6mm dies stamped `71 ,,are you adjusting it down so far the shellholder hits the die,,again I never heard of breakin a die,,I assumed they lasted forever.


I have bent some decapping pins and even bent the stem above the expander plug one time but I think I let it work loose and it bottomed out,,I think,,but I`ve never seen a broke die body.

 

[Model70Man]

They both broke above the expander plug.

 

[TiminTN]

The plug is bottoming out inside the case, no fault of the dies, just the operator. :blush:

Make sure the decapping pin is adjusted to just push out the primer, no more.

Just my .02$

 

[John D]

I agree with Tim. In close to 50 yrs the only "boke" die body I ever saw was carbide. Just curious what press are you using?

 

[Model70Man]

I honestly don't think it's bottoming out. It snapped when the handle was halfway down with very little pressure.

Both of them broke in the exact same place.

 

[TiminTN]

Why else would they break?

Presses have tons of leverage, you would feel very little to nothing.

Something is causing them to break.

 

[Wildcat]

Both of them broke in the exact same place.

Something is wrong, it can't be the dies. It's hard to beleive two different RCBS dies would break at the same place in so short a time. There has to be something else.

 

[cdw338]

I have RCBS dies in 270, 308 and 7mm that I have been using for
over 35 years with no problem.

I agree with Tim.

 

[mr.big]

you aint puttin 270 wsm brass in the 300 die are ya??

 

[Model70Man]

I really don't know what has caused them to break. I have resized thousands of 223, 308, 270, and 243 brass all the same way with no problems. I have resized maybe 150 7mm WSM brass so far with no problems.

When my new dies come in, I will take Tims advice and pull the decapping pin out further.

 

[Whelen Man]

I've bent a rod just above the expander plug but that was operator error. The expander plug shouldn't be touching anything on fired cases halfway through the downstroke. I've never even broke or bent a rod when upsizing 30-06 brass to fit a 35 Whelen. On new brass you would have some contact partially through the downstroke. Are you lubing the insides of the necks well? If the decapping pin wasn't centering in the flash hole I suppose it could cause the rod to be bent sideways and break but I've never had that happen. Perhaps the rod was bent a little from bottoming out on the case web the previous time which misaligned the decapping rod which then didn't act as a guide on the downstroke and the rod was further bent and broken. That's the only scenario I can come up with. Decapping rod assemblies aren't expensive though luckily.

 

[TiminTN]

Certainly no need for new dies. Just parts.

 

[Tiny]

Certainly no need for new dies. Just parts.

Yep is it was just the decapping rod again either way I agree with your earlier post as well.

BTW RCBS will send new parts or dies if one calls them and send them back if needed. ;)